Azure Sky and Cerulean Sea
by Grey Blade
Summary: Before their journey west, Sanzo was always ordered to go around blessing people, etc. taking Goku along with him. But they never went to the sea. Goku never really thought of it, until the first time he saw it.


**A/N: Just what I think when Goku first sees the sea. Slightly AU coz' of the fact they're going to see the ocean…or maybe it's not since they've already went through forests, city-like villages and even snow! **

**Dedicated to Crackers/Calysta Sylpher: the real Goku fan out of the two of us. From a sea-lover to a Goku obsessed person. **

**Please review and tell me what you think about it. Flames are very much welcome. Point out anything wrong with it.**

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_The wind twisted and turned. It passed the green meadows and the vast canopy of forests. The ferns and the trees swayed along in its presence and the petals of the cherry blossoms went along in its dance. _

_It went for miles, drifting and swirling to no end. It passed merchants and warriors; princes and peasants. It passed the clouds. It passed the stars. For years, the wind had passed and seen the sun set and rise. And when its travels around lands and kingdoms were over it would return to its home in an hours times. _

_Along with the cherry blossoms it had taken, it went back to the sea. _

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Goku sniffed the passing wind. The scent became stronger and stronger as they came nearer and nearer their destination. At first he thought he smelled fries from a really far away town, but as they came closer, he was sure that wasn't the case anymore.

He pondered about it as hard as he could as the wind stopped. The wind _did_ smell salty, but not the fries kind of salty. It was a different kind of salty, but he couldn't really put his finger on it. One moment it smelled like salty, wet grass and then next, he thought he could smell fish. It was strange and yet, it was very refreshing.

The wind came again and ruffled his hair. He had so much hair all over his eyes that he almost didn't see some sort of pink stuff flying along with the wind.

He got his hair out of the way in time and caught whatever it was flying with the wind. They were some sort of pink petals. Oh, he knew what those were! Sanzo showed him those when they went North to a temple, one time. He just couldn't remember what it was called. What _was _it? It had 'cherry' in it. Cherry Jell-O? No way…it started with a 'B'. Cherry Bacon? No, he just had to stop thinking about food. Cherry Bottom? Cherry Bosom?...

"Cherry blossoms."

Goku looked over at the golden-haired man in the front row of the jeep. "Huh?"

"They're called cherry blossoms, monkey."

Goku looked at the petals in his hands. Oh. That was what they were called.

Another gust of wind passed them and took the cherry blossoms along and drove it back into the azure sky.

"It's strange, though," Hakkai said, giving Sanzo a side-glance. "It's not the season for cherry blossoms in these parts, isn't it?"

"The wind must've carried it from up north," Sanzo said passively.

Well that was one question answered; maybe Hakkai or Sanzo could answer the salty smell question. He knew the snoring red-head across him won't be able to answer it.

"Hey, Sanzo."

He saw the monk's purple eyes dart towards him behind a fall of his hair. "What, now?"

"Um…Do ya' know what's wrong with the wind? It's smells weird and fishy."

"Ahaha," Hakkai laughed calmly from the driver's seat. "You haven't been to the sea, Goku?"

"The wha?"

"The sea, Goku. S-E-A."

The sea? What the heck was that, the sea? Maybe Hakkai was talking about 'see', but then he was asking if Goku had been there. How can you go to the 'see'? Maybe it was the letter kind of 'sea.' Maybe that was how it was spelled. But then you still can't go there.

"I don't think I've been there. What's it like?"

Hakkai looked at him from the rearview mirror. Goku could only see his eyes through the glass, but even so, he could tell the green-eyed man was smiling. It even seemed his eyes were smiling by the way they were bright and lively. "You'll see soon enough, Goku."

"Huh?"

Hakkai didn't answer this time, so Goku just kept quiet. He did say he'd see whatever it was he was about to see soon enough.

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Goku planted his chin on his hands as the wind passed by. Today was really sucked. They wouldn't tell him what a 'sea' was, Gojyo had woken up and kept on annoying him and he was still hungry. He already complained five times to Sanzo but his guardian only kept on beating him with his Harisen and telling him to shut up and not annoy him.

They were in a forest now, and the air didn't have that smell anymore. It was covered by the musky, leafy scent of the trees and mud.

They passed under a tunnel and once again, Goku wondered how Hakkai managed to maneuver in the darkness. Goku flinched. He didn't really like the darkness. He felt so caged in it.

And then it came back again. The wind came back carrying along that strange smell, that weird yet refreshing smell. Goku held up his nose to the air. It was near. So near. Like he could touch it.

"What're you smelling, monkey boy. Your next dinner," Gojyo said. His arms were bent and served as the taller man's pillow and he had one eye closed as he talked to Goku.

Goku just ignored him and kept on trying to figure it out. What was it? It was so strange. He wanted to find out what it was. Like a mystery that was begging to be unraveled and solved. He sniffed and sniffed but he really couldn't tell what it was. He shut his eyes tight, trying to smell the air and think at the same time.

Then they came out of the tunnel and the gust of wind came flying full-force and hit his face like a cannon. And along that wind, that smell came stronger than ever and stung his nose in a way that it was nice.

Hakkai stopped lightly.

Goku opened his eyes, slowly to meet the sun in the sky. The sky. It never seemed so blue before. So cloudless and beautiful. It just seemed to go on, endlessly…forever and ever.

That smell was coming from behind him…along with a peculiar sound. Like a huge tree crashing, a really huge tree, and lots of them.

He turned around, curious to see what it was…

He gasped and his eyes widened.

A vast body of water lay in front of him. The strange sound he heard had been huge waves crashing on the sandy shore.

Goku got out of the jeep and ran over to the wet part of the sand. His feet sank right beneath it instantly, to be washed up by another wave of water. He giggled as he felt tiny fish swim around his feet. Was _this _what Hakkai was talking about? Was _this _a sea? It was a stupid name for something so beautiful.

The farther parts had an indigo color, but the water nearer the shore had a lighter, brighter and much clearer color. And beneath this, he could see life like he had never seen before. Stones, plants and fishes in different colors and sizes. They all seemed so pretty, Goku felt a grin tugging at the ends of his mouth. He saw a huge clam and an octopus. He only saw these things in a restaurant or market, and now he felt a little guilty for taking them for granted and just shoving them into his mouth.

A streak of white swept past him. It took Goku a second to realize that it was Hakuryu. He followed the dragon's small form flying over the carpet of blue. He only realized just how majestic the animal looked flying like this with the sun at its back; flying off to the horizon.

He never gave it much thought before, but now, the horizon looked a lot bigger than when they were in the desert. And he awed at how the blue of the sky blended with the blue of the 'sea' and made it look so wonderful.

And then small dots came jumping out from the water, and then back down again. Goku was disappointed at their disappearance, but then they came again; nearer this time, but disappeared again as they dropped back down into the water. Each time they jumped out again they came nearer. As they got nearer, he saw that they were a group of fish. Small fish.

His mind didn't even wander to eating them as he time seemed to have slowed down. They were near enough for Goku to see their indigo bodies jump out so smoothly above the water. And the way they didn't even bump or crash into each other as if they were cooperating together, each time they dropped down again. And then they created such a finely set arch above the water, Goku almost wanted to go there and pass through it. They dropped back into the sea again, creating splashes that seemed to be made of glass. Droplets of water that seemed so much like crystal separated themselves from those splashes, only to fall down into the water again, forming gentle ripples.

Goku watched all this with wonder and amazement. His mouth was wide open in a huge grin and his eyes so bright and golden at the sight of this. At the sight of the sea. He was so overwhelmed by this, he didn't even notice Hakuryu coming back; so overwhelmed he didn't see the fish in Hakuryu's claws.

Without even thinking, he stepped forward, feeling the tickles the small fish gave him. He was about to take another when he felt pulled back by a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around to see Sanzo tower over him. He didn't understand why the man was stopping him from at least wading a little in the water, until he looked beyond him and saw that Hakuryu had come back and had already returned to his Jeep form. Hakkai and Gojyo were already seated in their usual spots.

Goku felt something inside of him snap. They were leaving. At first it didn't make much sense, and he couldn't remember why they were leaving in such a rush until he looked at Sanzo's purple eyes.

The taller man let go and walked over to the vehicle with no other words but, "Let's go. We've wasted enough time as it is, already."

Goku took one last look at the sea. Now, that he was leaving it behind, it didn't seem so bright and wonderful anymore. It seemed so sad, now. And lonely, too.

He jumped into Jeep with his shoulders slumped and his mouth felt so heavy in a frown.

Hakkai looked at him, comforting him with his eyes. "This part of the ocean is still unspoiled, Goku. Let's keep it that way."

And without another word, he started the engine and drove off.

The sea was gone and was replaced by a big, blue blur, until it changed and was replaced by a line of trees.

"Cheer up, Goku. The next village is only at least an hour away. They say it has one of the finest restaurants."

Ah, well. No use crying over something that's gone, right?

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**A/N: Okay, since I wasn't feeling inspired at the ocean part I think my writing style became crap and I ran out of ideas for the adjectives to use. This was an idea I suddenly had while I was listening to Goku's music theme when I suddenly passed the living where my bro was watching and saw The Little Mermaid on T.V. **

**To Crackers: Hope ya' liked it! Review to me when you've read it and tell me what you think about it. **

**I will try to revise this to make it better when I feel inspired by the sea again. Maybe the next time I go scuba diving or something like that.**


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